Park shook his head, but it wasn’t necessarily in disagreement.

“Helena knows what Daisy’s like. A lot better than you do,” Cola added gently. “Even if you weren’t pack anymore, she didn’t want you hurting any more than you already were.”

Park looked down at the floor, and Cooper put his hand on his back, applying firm steady pressure, and felt Park lean back into him for a moment.

“Okay, okay,” Park said finally. “So what happened next?”

Cola sighed, looking suddenly exhausted. “A couple days ago Arthur called me in a panic. Someone had recognized him, had proof of his past and was blackmailing him. Money for silence.”

“James Finnigan,” Cooper said.

“Yes. The blackmail had been going on for nearly a month, and Arthur had been paying. Had even started dipping into the charity funds. But the day before Finnigan was killed, a package showed up at Arthur’s house, and he was convinced it meant James had told and the WIP were going to kill him. That’s when I first learned of the situation.”

“What kind of package?” Cooper asked.

“A box full of rose heads,” Cola said. “It’s an old legend—”

“Yeah, yeah, the Moon cleanse,” Cooper said, heart beating fast. Under his hand, Park had stiffened.

“Well, Arthur thought it was a threat and, seeing as they’re wiping him off the floor in the next room, surrounded by pressed roses, I’m inclined to agree.”

“Oh no,” Cooper said. “That was me. The flowers, I mean.”

Cola looked uncharacteristically startled, and Cooper explained about finding the flowers in the book and then dropping it when he was attacked. Then, hesitating just a moment, he told her about the package he’d received himself yesterday.

Cola’s expression turned increasingly grim. “That’s three mystery flower boxes. And you’re the only recipient still living.”

“What are you talking about?” Park said urgently. “Three?”

“We found a box of rose heads in James Finnigan’s hotel room as well, same as Arthur received.”

There was a resounding silence as Cooper tried to absorb that. When Park spoke, his voice was tight with tension. “What if this is it? The threat Freeman was talking about.”

Cooper shook his head, frowning. “But why? And who do I, James, and Arthur have in common?”

“No idea, but I can tell you right now who people are going to think it is. It’s only a matter of time until every wolf on the continent is whispering about the Moon rising. We’re a small community and damn do we love a dramatic rumor,” she added in a murmur.

“Just because of some flowers?” Cooper asked, incredulous.